


our future

by zarapjms



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Awkwardness, Crying, F/M, Fluff, Future Character Death, Kissing, Watching Movies, barry’s disappearance, but also sad, no don allen mention bc idek if he’s gonna be on the show??, ralph is annoying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 21:51:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14942010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarapjms/pseuds/zarapjms
Summary: Barry and Iris adjust to having their future-daughter, who’s the same age as them, in their lives.





	our future

**Author's Note:**

> hii! eid mubarak. i’m a little late, but whateverrrr. i had zero motivation to write for many earths, always you, so i’m sorry there’s no new update :( but here’s this in the meantime, since my twitter mutuals wanted to suffer, ig!! anyway, enjoy!

It’d been a few months since Nora had told them she was their kid, and Iris and Barry hadn’t known what to do with her or themselves since then.

But they had, however, figured out where exactly she’d be staying. They first opted for Joe’s house, but then she’d be staying with her grandpa, Cecile and aunt Jenna, and that was a bad idea. Then they thought about Cisco’s apartment, but that’d just be weird, considering he was her godfather – which she’d told them. Caitlin or Ralph weren’t even a choice, since Nora didn’t trust them at all. So the only place she could go, was Iris and Barry’s loft. Or, “home” as she’d called it.

She’d gotten her own room, which she decorated quickly, seeing as she was a speedster. Barry’d helped her, and after they were done he’d asked her whether her helping him save Central City was the “big mistake” she talked about. She’d smiled and said no.

That was a few weeks ago. Barry’d had a pretty quiet couple of months. He wasn’t complaining, but running helped him focus, helped him think logically. He still ran, but he did it without really having a specific goal.

He’d received a voicemail from Singh, though, a few days after the incident with the satellite. And Barry had ran to Iris as quickly as he could, and kissed her. Iris had smiled at him, confused, and he’d told her that she helped him get his job back.

She’d blushed and kissed his cheek, happy for him. Barry had been working ever since, and nobody at the precinct looked at him like he was disgusting anymore. Joe was happy to have Barry back as well, complaining about the new CSI they’d hired while he was on indefinite leave, saying that she was way too slow. Barry had laughed.

Back in the present, Barry was preparing dinner. Iris helped him set up the table, since they’d decided that she was a bad cook after the Burnt Toast Incident™️.

“Should we…”

“I don’t know? Do you-”

“Good morning!” Nora said cheerily, skipping down the stairs. Barry smiled at her. “Mm, smells good.”

“Thanks.”

Nora helped Iris set up the table, stealing a few cubes of cheese every now and then.

Barry finished the last bit of preparing their dinner, and poured it into a bowl. He put it on the perfectly set table. Iris sat down after Barry did, and Nora flashed upstairs and back downstairs, dressed in her pajamas.

“You’re telling me I have to deal with not one but two of you speeding around me and messing my hair up? Unbelievable.”

Barry and Nora grinned at Iris, who just stared at them. “Oh god, they’re twins.”

Barry chuckled and Nora shook her head with a smile. They ate in silence, until Nora spoke up.

“Um, dad, could you give me the salt?”

Barry choked on his food, while Iris coughed loudly after swallowing her tea. “Y-yeah, sure.”

Nora laughed then, taking the salt from him. “I’m sorry, it slipped. I won’t do it again if it’s a b-”

“No! No- um, you can call us whatever you want.”

Iris watched them with tears pooling in her eyes, and Barry cooed. “Aw, don’t cry, Iris.” He hugged her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Iris sniffled. “I just- are we still the same in your time?”

Nora cleared her throat, the smile on her face slipping. She hesitated before speaking again. “Yeah, yeah, of course.”

Barry stared at her with confusion written all over his features, but didn’t say anything.

Iris smiled, missing the way Nora lied, too happy to notice. She squeezed Barry’s hand. Barry squeezed back.

“Well, I have nothing to do today… So, what do you want to do?”

Barry smiled, excitedly clapping his hands together. “Let’s see a movie!”

“I don’t know.. What kind of movies do you usually like, Nora?” Iris looked at Nora expectantly.

“Huh. We don’t have cinema’s in our time, um, we just watch everything at home.”

“Well.. Then how about just taking a little walk?”

Nora shrugged, and Iris hummed. “Sure. But we first have to cl-”

Barry and Nora zipped around Iris, who had stood up, cleaning up the table and kitchen in less than a second.

“-ean up… I sometimes forget I have two speedsters at home now.”

Barry smiled and kissed her cheek while Nora just awkwardly smiled. Iris and Nora didn’t get along well at first, Nora’d act really cold around her and would barely smile, but she’d be happy to even hear Barry.

Iris shrugged it off but she was still that way, and it’d been a couple of months. She tried not to think about it instead.

**

“Ralph, shut the fuck up!” Barry threw his sweaty towel across the speed lab, fuming with anger.

“I’m just saying, Barry, that-”

“I’ve had enough! Guys, deal with this dick, I can’t do it anymore. I’m done for today. Or forever. Call me when he’s not being an asshole,” Barry spat, flashing back home.

Iris watched with wide eyes as Barry threw his jacket on the little chair they had at their door, mumbling to himself heatedly as he worked his way upstairs.

“Barry?”

“Hey, Iris, I’m just going to go shower.”

Iris tried to say something more, but the bathroom door slammed closed. “Uh-”

“I say we let him be.”

Nora took a bite in her apple, and Iris nodded. “Yeah, I hope he calms down a little after the shower. Ralph probably pissed him off again.”

Nora hummed.

Iris bit her lip, walking to the windowsill Barry proposed to her on. “Hey, Nora?”

“Yeah?”

“Is there a reason you don’t seem to like me as much as Barry?”

Iris was too scared to turn around and look Nora in the eyes, but Nora came to stand in front of her. “Of course not.. Why’d you think that?”

“You just seem.. More attached to him, I guess.”

Nora sighed. “Because.. I- The article you write on the twenty-fifth of April in twenty twenty-four?”

Iris frowned. “The one about Barry disappearing?”

“Yeah. Um. That happens to be just a few years after I’m born. Uh. So, he disappears, before I can really get to know him more.”

Iris gulped. “Y-you mean.. He-he never comes back?”

Nora bit her lip.

Iris took that as an answer. She nodded, absently tugging at her sweater. “Oh.”

“It’s just- hard to see him again, you know? I haven’t seen him in so long, but I grew up with you, feeding me and shaping me into the woman I am today. I just- we fought before I went back in time, too, so I didn’t know how to approach you. You’re- you know, my mom, and he’s my dad, and you’re both important to me, but I haven’t seen him in such a long time and-” Nora let out a little sob, wiping away her tears, “a-and I just miss him. You always told me stories about him, you know, just funny and cute and sad stories that I never forgot but acted like I did anyway just so you could tell me how it happened over and over. It’s just great to have him here, just, to be able to actually talk to him and make him laugh or smile or see both of you happy.”

Iris hugged Nora, both of them sobbing loudly, clutching each other. Nora sniffled after a few more sobs, and Iris rubbed her back. She looked up after a few more sniffles and smiled at something behind Iris, so Iris turned around.

Barry stood there, sweatpants and shirt, a towel wrapped around his neck. He smiled softly. And then he flashed forward, hugging both of them tightly.

“Hey, I know I’ll leave at one point, but whatever happens, I want both of you to know I’m here now, and don’t plan on leaving at all.”

Iris chuckled a little. “Good.”

Barry pulled back and smiled, rubbing his hand over Iris’ cheek softly while he rubbed Nora’s back.

“How about we just watch a movie together, one that’ll make both of you happy and in turn make me happy too?”

Nora nodded, smiling. She sat down on the couch while Barry took Iris’ hands, sliding them over his shoulders and leaving them hanging, her arms draped over his shoulders. “I love you.” He rubbed his nose against hers, smiling, and kissed her, just a slow and quick kiss.

“I love you too. You choose a movie with her, I’ll get us some snacks.”

“Are you sure you won’t set the kitchen on fire while doing so?”

“Barry!”

Barry laughed, rubbing his arm after Iris swatted it, sitting next to Nora on the couch.

Iris came back with snacks quickly after, sitting on Barry’s left side, so Barry was in the middle of Nora and Iris.

They turned on a romcom, which was fun at first, but after a while Nora’s eyes started to droop, so she laid her head against Barry’s shoulder and eventually fell asleep. Iris stayed awake a little longer, but after a while, she slept too, her legs hanging off Barry’s lap.

Barry smiled, silently turning off the TV, and stood up slowly, taking Iris in his arms. He walked up the stairs with her slowly, making sure not to wake her, and laid her down in their bed. He pulled the blankets over her, kissing her forehead softly, and then closed the door behind him. When he got back downstairs, Nora was still asleep, laying on the couch, if not a little awkwardly.

Barry contemplated also carrying her upstairs, but thought that’d be weird, but he didn’t want to wake her up or move her, since she looked really peaceful. He bit his lip, unsure.

“I can hear your thoughts from here, dad.”

Barry let out a startled gasp, and looked at Nora, who rubbed her eyes sleepily.

“Heh, I- uh, sorry. Wasn’t sure if you’d want me to carry you upstairs or-”

Nora flashed toward him, cutting him off. She hugged him tightly. “I love you. Thank you for everything.”

Barry didn’t hug back at first, tense, but then he relaxed and hugged her back. “Of course. Um, I love you too. D’you want to sleep anymore, or..?”

“Yeah, yeah I do.”

“Great.”

Barry walked to the stairs, but Nora spoke up, so he turned back around.

“And dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t forget to tell mom she’s the greatest woman you know.”

“I won’t, don’t worry.”

They shared a small smile, knowing that those words meant more than anyone else’d realize.

 


End file.
